Karine et Bart

French, Period 2, Mme Dymit

2/3/15

Major Monuments
Many monuments attract tourists to the most visited city in the world, Paris, but
three monuments separate it from the rest of the world. The first being the Eiffel Tower,
the second being the Arc De Triomphe, and the last being the Champs-lyses. Each
monument strikes the heart with a certain magnificence and beauty that attracts
thousand per year.
The Eiffel Tower is a very popular attraction in Paris. From my research, I learned
a whole lot about the Eiffel Tower that I didnt know of. I learned about the history of the
Eiffel Tower and many other interesting facts about the tower. The tower was originally
built for the 1889 World Fair to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the French
Revolution. The Eiffel Tower was designed by Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel who is an
architect, designer and engineer. Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel was chosen unanimously
from 700 proposals. The Eiffel Tower took two years to build and it took 300 steel
workers to build it. The tower is also made out of wrought iron. The tower is about 300
meters tall but 320.75 meters tall including the antenna (1,063 feet). The tower weighs
approximately about 7,000 tons. In 1909 the tower was almost torn down, it was almost
torn down because it was considered ugly and an eyesore to the Parisian cityscape, but
it was kept because its antenna was used for military and other purposes. The Eiffel
Tower was the worlds tallest building until the Chrysler Building was built in New York
City in 1930. The Eiffel Tower has over six million visitors each year. It takes about
1,665 steps to get to the top of the Eiffel Tower and at the top of the tower you can see
42 miles in every direction on a clear day. The Eiffel Tower costs $1.5 million and it
receives a new coat of paint every seven years. Its painted with fifty tons of dark brown

Karine et Bart
French, Period 2, Mme Dymit
2/3/15

paint. Another interesting fact about the Eiffel Tower is that its twice the size of the
Washington Monument but it weighs 70,000 tons less. If you ever plan on going to
Paris, then you should visit the Eiffel Tower. The Eiffel Tower is more than just an
attraction, its an important symbol for both Paris and France.
The Champs-lyses is one of the main attractions for tourists. The long avenue
provides a surplus of stores, cafs, boutiques, hotels, and much more. It travels from
the massive tourist attraction, LArc De Triomphe, to La Place De La Concorde, just over
a mile! Every year, the Champs-lyses is the last part of the Tour De France. It finishes
with racers travelling through the Arc. The Champs-lyses, however, was not always
this prominent and beautiful. The construction first started in 1667 as an extension to
the Jardin des Tuileries, running west from the Louvre. Once the construction was
finished, it went three hundred years without being refined. During that time, it suffered
through two world wars and several other catastrophic events in France. Fortunately, in
the 1980s, Jacques Chirac, the governor of Paris, budgeted seventy-five million euros
to renovate and beautify the Champs-lyses. It went from being a mere field to being
one of the most popular tourist attractions in all of Paris over a course of three hundred
years. Champs-lyses stands for Elysian Fields which describes a place similar to
the Garden of Eden. The Champs-lyses, in my opinion, is probably the Elysian field
of the modern world due to its elegance, beauty, and prominence and I believe
thousands of others agree with me.
The Arc De Triomphe is situated at one end of the Champs-lyses causing it to
be a very popular tourist attraction. The Arc, however, was built 140 years after the
construction of the Champs-lyses. The construction began with Napoleon Bonaparte

Karine et Bart
French, Period 2, Mme Dymit
2/3/15

commissioning it in 1806 to commemorate his victories. The Arc had barely started its
construction when Napoleon fell from power. It wasnt finished until the reign of King
Louis-Philippe in 1836. Jean Chalgrin, the designer of the Arc, was based off of the Arch
of Titus in Rome. The Arc De triomphe, or Triumphal Arc, has thousands of names and
reliefs to commemorate those who lost their lives, fought in battle, and battles France
had won during Napoleons era. The most common relief is the Marseillaise Relief. The
Marseillaise was a rallying song in the French revolution for the rebels. In addition to the
names and reliefs, the Arc stands over the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the
Eternal Flame which honor those who lost their lives in WWI. The Arc is considered, by
some, to be located at the center of Paris which makes it seem as if everything revolves
around it. Finally, due to its poise and glory, the Triumphal Arc attracts over 600,000
visitors each year.
In summary, the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, and Champs-lyses are the
epitome of beauty, elegance, poise, prominence, and respect which makes these three
to be not just major monuments of Paris but be major monuments of the world as well.